Ensilage-tamping machine.



W. M. GOODNIGHT. ENSILAGE TAMPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-11,1915- Patented Dec. 12, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

W. M. GOODNIGHT.

Patented Dec. 12, 1916. 1

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

:rms co.. mam-via. WASNINI you! n L WILLIAM IVE. GOODNIGI-IT, 0F MONTSERRAT, MISSOURI.

ENSILAGE-TAMPING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

PatentedDec. 12, ieic.

Application filed September 11, 1915. Serial No. 50,244.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM M. Goon- NIGHT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Montserrat, in the county of Johnson and State of Missouri, have invented new and useful Improvements in Ensilage- Tamping Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to ensilage tamping machines, the object in view being to produce simple, reliable and eflective mechanism whereby ensilage may be quickly and compactly tamped as rapidly as it is deposited in a silo thereby doing away with the expensive present method of tamping ensilage which consists in the employment of a number of men who tramp the ensilage down with their feet. Under the present invention only one operator is needed to control the operation of the tamping apparatus thereby greatly reducing the cost of storage of ensilage in a silo.

IVith the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts, as herein described, illustrated and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical diametrical section through a sufficient portion of a silo to illustrate the use of the tamping apparatus of this invention therein. Fig. 2 is a similar section through the upper portion of the silo showing another manner of mounting the main support. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 1, omitting the tamper.

. Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary section on the line 44 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary section on the line 55 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary side elevation showing the drum winding gearing associated with the tamper and tamper operating cable. Fig. 7 is a top plan view of a portion of an ensilage cutter showing the cable operating mechanism. Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the same with the frame partly broken away.

In carrying out the present invention I prefer to use the t'ampin'g apparatusin connection with an ordinary cylindrical silo, the cylindrical wall of which is indicated at 1. At the top of the silo and supported by the silo wall 1 is a diametrically extendin elevated support 2 shown as consisting 0' parallel beams in spaced relation to each other resting adjacent to their opposite ends on the top edge of the silo wall, said beams being suitably bolted or fastened together and having interposed between them a center bearing 3 the purpose of which will presently appear.

Arranged just under the center bearing 3 is a rotatable tubular head 4 fastened to a tubular shaft 5 which extends upwardly through the center bearing 3 and is provided at the upper end thereof with a flange or head 6 which supports the head 4 in relation to the bearing 3 while permitting said head to be revolved.

A11 arm or sweep 7 is fastened to the head 4 and the outer end thereof carries a roller 8 which travels upon a circular track or rail 9 supported at various intervals by means of brackets 10 secured to the rafters 11 of the roof structure as shown in Fig. 2 or to the beams 2 as shown in Fig. 1, or to the wall of the silo.

12 designates a tamper which consists of a weight of any desired size and shape, the same being suspended by means of supports 13 from the frame 14 by a cable winding drum 15 journaled in said frame and having a gear 16 fast on one end of the shaft thereof which meshes with and is actuated by a pinion 17 on a shaft 18 provided at one end with a crank handle 19. The flexible tamper operating cable 20 is fastened to and adapted to be wound upon the drum 15 by the operator while in the silo so that the tamper may be adjusted to the desired elevation as the silo becomes filled with ensilage. I

The cable 20 extends over the frame 14 upwardly over a guide 21 shown in the form of a pulley journaled on a shaft 22 which is movable longitudinally of the arm or sweep 7, the shaft 22 being held in place by means of a guide strap 23 fastened to the upper side of the sweep. As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the arm or sweep 7 is preferably composed of parallel channel iron sections, the flanges of which are disposed at the bottom and extended outwardly in opposite directions where they are provided with rack faces 24 engaged by the teeth of a pair of gears 25 fast on the opposite ends of the shaft 22. One of said gears 25 carries a pulley 27 around which an endless rope or cable 28 is wound, the cable 28 being within reach of the operator while in the silo so that he may turn the pulley 27 in either direction and by means of the wheels 26 and rack faces 24, effect an outward or in.-

ward movement of the shaft 22 and the guide pulley 21 mounted thereon, this being done for the purpose of moving the tamper 12 toward or away from the center of the silo.

29 designates a dog or detent pivotally mounted on one end of the shaft 22 and adapted to engage one vof. the rack faces 24 above referred to, said dog 29 having a trip rope 30 connected therewith so that it may be moved out of engagement with the rack face to permit the shifting operation hereinabove just described.

31 represents a detent engaging the gear 16 in order to prevent the unwinding of the cable 20 during the tamping operation.

The cable operating mechanism may be mounted on the-ground and driven by any suitable means such as an engine which drives theordinary'ensilage cutter, or the cable operating mechanism may be actuated by an attachment to an ensilage cutter such as is illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8 wherein 32 designates a crank wheel shown in the form of a spur gear provided at one point with a crank pin 33, the wheel 32 being mounted fast on a shaft 34 having an eccentric 35 fixed thereon. The wheel'32 is actuated by a pinion 36 on a countershaft 37 having also fast thereon a large gear 38 which 'meshes with and is driven by a pinion 39 on'the same shaft 40 with a band wheel 41.

42 designates a cable operating arm which exerts a pull on ithe cable 20, the arm '42 being pivotally mounted at 43 on the frame 44 whichas above indicated may be in the form of an attachment to an ensilage cutter or a part of the ensilage cutter frame itself.

'45 designates a drum upon which the cable 20 is wound, the shaft 46 of said drum being shown as journaled in bearing standards 47- extending upwardly from the frame 44. The shaft 46 also has fast thereon a ratchet wheel 48, 49 designating a detent carried by one of the standards 47 for preventing the drum from unwinding. The cable 20 after leaving the drum 45 passes around a guide pulley 50 connected at 51 with the free end of the arm 42. The con nection at 51 ispreferably in the form of an eye bolt which passes through any one of a series of openings 52 in the arm 42 where it'is provided with a head 53 and is surrounded by a cushioning spring 54 to take up sudden jars which may be imparted to the mechanism controlling and operating the tamper. By moving the eye bolt just referred'to toward or away from the extremity of the arm 42, the range of movement of-the tamper may be increased or diminished.

In order to wind the cable 20 upon the drum 45, I employ a dog 55 adapted to be thrust into engagement with the ratchet wheel 48 by means of-a trip rope 56 or other suitable connection. The dog 55 is carried by an eccentric strap 57 actuated by an eccentric 58 on the shaft 34 of the crank wheel 32.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will now be understood that in each complete revolution of the crank wheel 32, the pin 33 acts against the arm 42 to de press the outer free end thereof and thereby exert a pull on the cable 20 which will raise the tamper 12. lVhen the pin 33 passes out of engagement with the arm 42, the latter is released, thereby releasing the cable and allowing the tamper to fall. As the level of ensilage in'the silo increases, the cable 20 may be shortened either by using the trip rope 56 to throw the dog 55 into driving engagement with the ratchet wheel 48 of the drum 45, or the operator may revolve the drum 15 pr .viously referred to and thereby wind the other end of the cable on the last nameddrum.

In packing or tamping the ensilage, it is, of course, necessary to move the tamper 12 from the center of the silo toward the side wall thereof and vice versa, this being accomplished by tripping the dog 29 and revolving the gears 26 by means of the rope or cable 28. This feeds the guide pulley 21 toward or away from the center of the silo and correspondingly changes the zone of operation of the tamper 12. No change takes place in the length of the cable by reason of the fact that a portion thereof extends upwardly through the center bearing 3 and through the tubular shaft of the rotatable head 4.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. The combination with a silo, of ensilage tamping apparatus, embodying a central elcvated support, a circular elevated track, a head journaled in said support to turn on avertical aXis, an arm extending from said head and having its outer end supported by said track and adapted to sweep through a. complete circle, a tamper, a tamper operating cable, and cable guiding means on said arm and support.

2. The combination with a silo, of ensilage tamping apparatus, embodying a central elevated support, a circular elevated track, a tubular head journaled in said support to turn on a vertical axis, an arm extending from said head and having its outer end supportedby said track and adapted to sweep through a complete circle, a tamper, a tamper operating cable passing through the tubular head and its support, and cable guiding-means 011 said arm and support.

3. The combination with a silo, of ensilage tamping apparatus, embodying a central elevated support, a circular elevated track, a, head journaled in said support to turn on a vertical axis, an arm extending from said head and having its outer end supported by said track and adapted to sweep through a complete circle, a tamper, a tamper operating cable, cable guiding means on said arm and support, an annular series of brackets supporting said track, and a track wheel journaled on said arm.

4. The combination with a silo, of ensilage tamping apparatus, embodying a central elevated support, a circular elevated track, a head journaled in said support to turn on a vertical axis, an arm extendingfrom said head and having its outer end supported by said track and adapted to sweep through a complete circle, a tamper, a tamper operating cable, and a cable guide adjustable longitudinally of said arm.

5. The combination with a silo, of ensilage tamping apparatus, embodying a tamper, a tamper operating cable, cable guiding means, and cable controlling mechanism comprising a winding drum for said cable, an oscillatory arm for exerting a pull on the cable to raise the tamper, a crank wheel for operating said arm, means for driving said crank wheel, a ratchet face on the drum, an eccentric on the shaft of the crank wheel,

and a dog actuated by said eccentric and movable into and out of engagement with said ratchet face, whereby an intermittent rotative movement of the drum is produced to gradually decrease the throw of the cable and tamper.

6. The combination with a silo, of ensilage tamping apparatus, embodying a tamper, a tamper operating cable, cable guiding means, and cable controlling mechanism comprising a winding drum for said cable, an oscillatory arm for exerting a pull on the cable to raise the tamper, a crank wheel for operating said arm, means for driving said crank wheel, a ratchet face on the drum, an eccentric on the shaft of the crank wheel, a dog actuated by said eccentric and movable into and out of engagement with said ratchet face, Whereby an intermittent rotative movement of the drum is produced to gradually decrease the throw of the cable and tamper, and a detent engaging said ratchet face.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM M. GOODNIGHT.

Vitnesses MYRTLE DENTON, JOHN A. CLAY.

topics of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

